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I want to be fair in assessing this new 1250 cc adventure motorcycle concept from Harley Davidson called the Pan America but we're already up to something like 50 comments on the IG post and they're 99% negative ?

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The comments are up to 250 now and savage! . Less than a handful of positive ones.

Here’s what I’m thinking... I think HD designed this with their existing customers in mind, not necessarily us. They want to expand their brand and give their older, fatter, poser riders an adventure option. The bike has to have design cues from their existing bikes and look like it will still “fit in” riding amongst other HD riders. I think it’s strictly like a novelty bike with no serious off road capabilities.

But who knows? I’d certainly try one if given a chance and be honest about what it can do well if that’s the case.

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I have a Buell Ulysses which was an attempt to build an “adventure bike” around a Harley based V-twin. The thing is a complete turd off road but an amazing canyon carving street bike. I came into the Uly after owning a Sportster 1200, I loved that motor but the rest of the bike sucked. Certainly Harley has no intention of getting anywhere near the hardcore dirt focused adv market but with US sales down 6.8% this year they have to diversify and the Pan America is likely the first whiff of that. To that point, I hear they are releasing an all electric bike next year too.

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@greedyg I rode to Jesse's Flying Monkey ADV Rally in 2011 with this guy on a Uly and it was really hard keeping up with him on the highway. On the dirt was another story. I'd only been riding the GSA for about 6 months and he had WAY more trouble than I did off road. Really heavy, small front wheel, bad geometry for off road.

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The comments are up to 250 now and savage! . Less than a handful of positive ones.

Here’s what I’m thinking... I think HD designed this with their existing customers in mind, not necessarily us. They want to expand their brand and give their older, fatter, poser riders an adventure option. The bike has to have design cues from their existing bikes and look like it will still “fit in” riding amongst other HD riders. I think it’s strictly like a novelty bike with no serious off road capabilities.

But who knows? I’d certainly try one if given a chance and be honest about what it can do well if that’s the case.

I don't hate the looks. I think it *is* designed with the current Harley crowd in mind. I'm always ready to give the benefit of the doubt to any company that flies in the face of convention (hell, I like the old 1999 Ford Taurus), and the Pan America looks like nothing else. I wonder if they'd made a Multistrada look-alike how much grief they'd be getting for that. Plus it may introduce Harley folks to try the upright comfortable sensible adventure bike seating position. I do know that this bike looks so massive it may influence the orbits of the smaller planets.

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How many people out there own adventure bikes that are far more capable than the rider? Some people just want to do a little trail riding. Nothing wrong with that. This would bring a whole new market in that has otherwise been left out. Sure, the bike looks a bit strange, but the wheel/tire situation, stock skid plate, hand guards with integrated blinkers is a good start. Harley carried the motorcycle market a long way for a long time. They have invested into EV and even bicycles. Lots of folks balked at the VRod when it came out but it did well for them. Now they’ve introduced 500/750 intro models to help bring new riders into cycling. I’m not into this bike at all. At All! But their attitude seems to be “let’s keep progressing the overall of cycling”. In the big picture, that ain’t so bad...